Born to Be Wild
by Shining Charizard
Summary: An evil dude uses Kurama's animal side against him... what will happen when it threatens Team Urameshi's lives? Will they be able to save their furry friend? *non-yaoi*
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Yu Hakusho! Come on people! That's what this site is for: so people can post stuff they've thought up about their favorite shows without getting sued.  
  
This disclaimer goes for ALL CHAPTERS of this fic. I don't know how long it's going to be; I just make it up as I go.  
  
SC: Oh yes, and for those of you who don't know, Yu-Yu Hakusho is my new obsession show.  
  
~ Prologue ~  
  
{Brilliant.}  
  
The shadows of night had fallen upon the Spirit World. All was peacefully still, until the silence was broken by the sound of distant footfalls. A silhouette appeared on the horizon, hidden beneath the veil of darkness.  
  
{This plan is brilliant. There is no other word for it. Oh, how evil I am. I must make a mental note to reward myself later.}  
  
A cloud parted, bathing the walkway and the figure with silvery moonlight. On either side of the path were rows of cages, their contents unknown. The figure walked past the lines of bars, gazing into them with various degrees of amusement on his face. He wore a swirling black cloak, and a hood kept his eyes from view.  
  
{Maybe I'll go into my private stores for a little celebratory night. . .} he thought to himself. {Perhaps I shall persuade my partner to join me. . .}  
  
The figure's thoughts were interrupted, as another cloaked figure jumped down in front of him. This one was most definitely female, you could tell from her voice when she next spoke:  
  
"There you are. I've just been on the north side of the complex, checking things out. It seems that they keep the really dangerous stuff over there, but the security's tight. It's gonna' be tricky to steal," she purred.  
  
The black-clad female looked up at the shadowed figure beside her, and her eyes reflected light from the moon, giving them a glowing effect. She grinned, showing off an unusually long canine. "Think you're up to the challenge?"  
  
"My dear Electra," the man replied, "it will be at my utmost pleasure." He held up an open palm, which began to radiate with purplish-black energy. Turning towards the north end, he grinned momentarily and fired.  
  
^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^  
  
SC: Okay, that probably sounded really bad. Don't flame me out; prologues are always supposed to be corny.  
  
Also, I'm sorry if you think the girl's name is dumb, but that's her name, so live with it.  
  
Actually, I've never been flamed out before, so I don't know what it's like. I've heard it's really bad, though, so I'm not taking any chances.  
  
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING NOTICES!!!  
  
I have been working on this story for a while, and have only now started posting it. I will post it chapter by chapter, so I can get more reviews.  
  
Review!!! The more reviews I get, the more chapters I will post at one time!!!  
  
Updates will be made on Saturdays/Sundays every week until finished.  
  
If the punctuation messes up, I'm sorry. I will replace the chapter A.S.A.P. (For my computer, it's usually the "three dots" that get messed up.)  
  
Hmm. that's all, I guess. Keep reviewing! It gets way better, believe me! 


	2. A New Case

Disclaimer: Please refer to the prologue for disclaimer.  
  
SC: Okay. Here we go. This could turn out corny, but here we go anyway.  
  
~ A New Case ~  
  
"Okay, you're going to have to run that by me again," Yusuke said with a confused air.  
  
"You've got to admit, it was pretty dumb. I can't believe someone would do anything like this," Kuwabara said stupidly.  
  
"That's only because your brain is too small to comprehend something of this nature," Hiei snorted.  
  
"Now isn't the best time to be fighting," Kurama advised.  
  
"Shut up, all of you!" yelled Botan. "I'm trying to tell you what happened!" Startled a bit by Botan's sudden outburst, the four spiritual agents silenced themselves instantly.  
  
"That's better," the blue-haired deity said, nodding her head. "Let's see, last night, there was a robbery in the Spirit World."  
  
"Where?" Yusuke wondered.  
  
"I know this might sound stupid, but. it was at the zoo."  
  
"There are zoos in the Spirit World?" Kuwabara asked.  
  
"Oh, of course!" Botan replied. "It's where they keep the dangerous creatures that have attacked the human world."  
  
"What sorts of creatures do they have in there?" Kurama inquired.  
  
"The usual: dragons, griffins, chimeras, and the usual stuff. We even had a centaur once, but his buddies came and busted him out."  
  
"But what would someone want with those kinds of animals? I mean, they'd draw a lot of attention if they were kept as pets," Yusuke pointed out.  
  
Hiei interjected, "It's simple. Whoever stole those animals wants to start a freak show. They'll be coming after Kuwabara next."  
  
Kuwabara rounded on Hiei. "You take that back! If anything, they'll be coming after you next, what with that freaky eye you've got."  
  
"It's that same eye that could burn you to cinders!" Hiei retorted.  
  
"Please stop this senseless fighting." Kurama began, but he was never heard over Hiei and Kuwabara's bickering.  
  
Botan picked up where Kurama had left off. "STOP IT! We have work to do, and we don't need you two arguing the whole way!"  
  
Yusuke turned toward his assistant in shock. "What, you mean we're going to go after those mangy things?"  
  
"Of course you are! The whole reason they were in the zoo was because they damaged the human world! If there's a chance that someone could use them against humans, then we must prevent it!" Botan shrieked.  
  
Kuwabara backed slightly away from the ferry-girl. "Whoa. It looks like someone is a little bit worked up!"  
  
"Oh, be quiet," Botan snapped. "You don't know what it was like! In the thirteenth century, dragons were running amuck all over Europe! It was all we could do to keep up!"  
  
"All right, all right, keep your kimono on," Yusuke said, not wanting to spend time listening to Botan's ravings. "Just tell us where it is we're supposed to start looking, and we'll do whatever you say."  
  
"You're to start you're investigation in a forest not far from here," Botan explained. "There has been suspicious activity going on recently, and it's the only sane place where you could hide a pack of beasts."  
  
"Not like I'd expect anyone to hide in a 'sane' place, but hey, you give the orders," Yusuke said, turning to leave.  
  
"Wait, Yusuke!" Botan cried, leaping in front of the door, barring the way. "This could be very dangerous. Please, be careful."  
  
^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^  
  
{Man, this tastes good. I'm glad I remembered to reward myself.}  
  
"Sir! I'm sorry to interrupt your celebration, but there's something I've found out while out snooping for information."  
  
{Drat. Oh well, I suppose I'll finish this later.}  
  
"Yes, what is it Electra?"  
  
"Sir, it appears that the Spirit world has sent agents after us."  
  
"As I knew they would. Yet why did you waste time telling me this?"  
  
"Sorry sir, but I thought you'd want to know.one of the agents is none other than Kurama."  
  
This comment got the man going. He sat straight up in his chair, dropping his plate to the floor with a clatter. "The Legendary Fox Thief himself? Are you sure of this?"  
  
"Yes sir. I am assured of it."  
  
"Hmm.I think we can work this into our plans. For now, let's finish our reward.oh my. I seem to have dropped my plate. Electra, kindly go down into my private stores and fetch me a slice of my finest Gouda. We're going to be up late tonight."  
  
^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^$^  
  
SC: See? I knew it would be corny. The chapter was short, but I have a running habit of talking too long and writing really long chapters. I'm trying to cut back.  
  
YA: And what about that Gouda, eh? Kind of cheesy if you ask me.  
  
SC: .Which no one did. Sorry folks, but I got lonely, so I brought in my dark side. The "Y" stands for "Yami."  
  
YA: And the "A" stands for.  
  
SC: AAAH! Not my real name! It is forbidden to speak of it!  
  
YA: It stands for *********.  
  
SC: Okay, that's my real real name. I don't go by that name. As far as most of my friends know, my real name is *****.  
  
YA: Oh shut up already and write the next chapter!  
  
SC: Fine! *dashes of and begins typing* 


	3. Search For Truth

Disclaimer: Please refer to the prologue for disclaimer.  
  
SC: GAH! Okay, I'm done holding my breath. Now I must try to hold my tongue, and keep the chapter from running on and on.  
  
YA: She's never held her tongue in her life.  
  
SC: Yes I have!  
  
YA: How? Your tongue is attached to your mouth. How can you hold it?  
  
SC: -__-'  
  
~ Search for Truth ~  
  
"From now on, I think I'll question Botan's definition of 'sane.' It's like a freakin' jungle in here!" Yusuke hollered.  
  
"Is it really, Yusuke? We were all hoping to find a mini-mall when Botan said 'forest,'" Hiei sneered.  
  
Yusuke glared at the shorter fighter next to him. "Quit the sarcasm and let's focus here."  
  
"Perhaps if we split up we'd find our target faster," Kurama suggested. "We'd cover more ground that way."  
  
"All right. Hiei, you go with Kurama. Kuwabara, you're with me," Yusuke decided, after sizing up the choices.  
  
"It's certainly good that you didn't pair him with me," Hiei said, turning his piercing gaze on Kuwabara. ".Or else, you might have ended up with one less friend."  
  
"Come on now, Hiei," Kurama said, literally dragging him away from the others. "You should learn to play nicely with the other kids."  
  
"Oh shut up. I'm not a kid," Hiei growled as the two of them began walking through the dense underbrush.  
  
Kurama paid dearly for his joke, for now Hiei was in a grumpy mood. Hiei in a bad mood is not exactly the best thing to have with you on a secret mission. Rather than walk around trees, Hiei often decided to blast them out of his way.  
  
"Maybe you should try to be a little sneakier. We don't want to be heard coming a mile away," Kurama said dryly. Truth be told, the kitsune also didn't like seeing all of those poor trees die because of Hiei's lack of concern.  
  
"I didn't ask for your advice. I think I will stop, though. Trees don't put up much of a fight." Hiei drew his sword and ran his finger along the blade.  
  
"Don't get too excited," Kurama said, noticing the manic glint in Hiei's eyes. "I have to agree with Yusuke on this one: I don't think we'll find anything out here."  
  
Hiei glared at the kitsune for a moment, then scowled and sheathed his sword. After that, the trek remained fairly peaceful, until Hiei suddenly let out a yell.  
  
"What is it?" asked Kurama, thinking that something had happened to him.  
  
"I'm getting sick of this dumb forest! I want to see some bloodshed!" He drew out his trusty sword again, and threw it boomerang-style into the nearest oak.  
  
Kurama sighed before answering, "Tell you what: why don't you wait here for a moment? I'll scout ahead a little ways to see if there's anything out there. If there isn't, we'll go back. Is that okay?"  
  
Hiei scowled again, and Kurama took that for an 'I don't care.' The kitsune turned and began to travel through the brush, but he had barely gone twenty feet when something caught his attention.  
  
A sudden flare of spirit energy had filled the air. Kurama whirled around, looking for the source, but it was on all sides of him. He turned towards Hiei, but the ninja-like warrior didn't seem to have noticed the energy.  
  
"Hiei! Come over here! Quickly!" Kurama shouted, thinking that maybe if he were closer he would sense it, too.  
  
Hiei got up and trudged nearer, apparently still fuming about having nothing to fight. Once he got within ten feet of Kurama, however, he suddenly jumped back. A wall had appeared in front of him, barring the way towards his friend.  
  
Annoyed, the fire apparition yanked his sword out of the oak and attempted to cut the barrier down, but as soon as the blade touched the wall a surge of electricity was sent down it. Hiei let out a yell and dropped his sword. Meanwhile, the wall began to grow taller and wider, until it surrounded the kitsune on all sides, like a dome of red electricity.  
  
Kurama rushed up and tried to break free, but the barrier gave him a shock identical to the one that Hiei had received. The kitsune was trapped, with no way out.  
  
"What is this?" Hiei yelled, picking his blade up from the forest floor.  
  
"I don't know," Kurama answered, for once in his life feeling panicky. "But it appears as though someone knew we were coming."  
  
"But why trap you when they could've gotten both of us?" Hiei questioned.  
  
"That might have been what they were after, but I set off the trap before you." Kurama was cut off when what felt like a tidal wave of energy hit him. He fell to his knees as another wave washed over him.  
  
"Kurama! What's going on in there?" shouted Hiei at the sight of his friend's collapse.  
  
"It's.someone.or something.has some major spirit energy to do this kind of thing." The kitsune braced himself, preparing for another wave, but it never came. Instead, a tingling sensation washed over him, sending chills down his spine.  
  
Hiei had just about had it. He tried cutting through the dome again, only to receive a shock worse than his previous one. Meanwhile, Kurama was still wrapped in the warmth of the new feeling that had fallen upon him. His vision was clouding, and he could feel the tingling growing stronger around his ears and back.  
  
Suddenly, there was a loud "BANG" followed by the appearance of Yusuke and Kuwabara. Yusuke had fired his Spirit Gun at the dome, and the walls cracked and dwindled, reducing themselves to nothing. Hiei, who had recovered from his second shock that day, now realized that the wall had gone. Feeling pleased with himself, his eyes fell upon Kurama who was lying unconscious on the forest floor.  
  
"Holy cow! Kurama!" The fire apparition rushed over and attempted to shake his friend awake, but it was no use.  
  
^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^  
  
"My dear Electra, did you remember to set the trap, like we planned?"  
  
"Yes, sir. I did exactly what you ordered."  
  
"Oh, very good. You've been so good lately, I've decided to reward you with a little something." He tossed a small black box over to the girl, who caught it in her yellow-gloved hands.  
  
Electra opened the box and peered inside, suddenly squealing with delight. "Thank you sir, oh thank you!" She ran off, clutching the box close and still squealing.  
  
The cloaked man chuckled. "Oh, so predictable."  
  
^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^  
  
SC: AAAH! Poor Kurama!  
  
YA: Are you ever going to name the mean dude?  
  
SC: Eventually. I just haven't thought of anything yet. For now I'll call him "Sir."  
  
YA: That's dumb.  
  
SC: I can't stand it! I feel like I'm not writing to my full potential! The next chapter shall be long-winded and detailed!  
  
YA: Decided to raise the bar, have we?  
  
SC: Shut up. *uses Supreme Authority, a type of authoress power, to duct tape YA's mouth shut*  
  
YA: Mmmmf! Mmmmf!  
  
SC: Har. Okay people, R&R, and eat plenty of Gouda. 


	4. It's Raining Cats and Kitsunes!

Disclaimer: Please refer to the prologue for disclaimer.  
  
SC: Finally! We get to "see" what happens to Kurama! Thank you everyone for the reviews!!!  
  
YA: *sarcastically* Yay.  
  
SC: May I remind you that I shall be long-winded in this chapter!  
  
YA: No, you may not remind us.  
  
SC: Shut up, shortie.  
  
YA: 0.0 I am not short!  
  
SC: You are now! *scribbles in Supreme Authority notebook*  
  
~ It's Raining Cats and Kitsunes! ~  
  
"Gosh, do you think he's all right?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I don't know what went on inside that force field."  
  
"Well, whatever it was must have been pretty weird for this kind of thing to happen to him."  
  
"Be quiet! This kind of thing isn't weird at all, at least to him."  
  
"Sorry, miss 'Politically Correct' but some of us aren't used to seeing him like this."  
  
Kurama could hear voices above him, all talking in rushed whispers. They were awfully loud whispers, but still whispers all the same. He didn't know why he was here, wherever here was. The last thing Kurama remembered was being in the forest and that funny feeling in his ears.  
  
He opened his eyes groggily, and realized that he was inside of Kuwabara's house, their usual hangout. The others were all off in a corner, having a heated discussion. How Kurama had managed to hear their voices so clearly from so far off was a mystery, and he didn't care to figure it out now. The kitsune sat up, and rubbed his eyes, trying to get them to focus correctly.  
  
"He's awake!" said Botan, noticing that he had sat up. She rushed over and began drowning him with cries of relief. "Oh thank goodness! We thought you had nearly died, Hiei said it was awful back there."  
  
"I though he just said he didn't know what happened," replied Kurama, confused.  
  
"How did you.oh well, I suppose it's a given that you would have heard us."  
  
"What are you talking about? What happened?" Kurama asked.  
  
"Oh! Well, it's really quite weird, even I don't quite understand it." Botan began. Kurama looked at her sternly, and Botan sighed.  
  
"All right. You see, when Hiei and the others were bringing you back from the forest, they noticed a weird energy around you. They brought you back here as quickly as they could, and we managed to stop it before it got too severe." she trailed off.  
  
"What? Tell me what happened!" Kurama demanded.  
  
Botan hesitated, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a mirror. "It's much easier to show you, rather than tell you."  
  
Kurama gulped, then took the mirror out of Botan's outstretched hand. He paused for a second before looking down onto the reflective surface.  
  
What he saw almost caused him to drop the mirror. His normal ears were gone, and he now had two silver fox ears, perched lightly on top of his head. The ends of his flaming red hair had turned platinum, and upon looking into his own eyes, he saw flecks of gold dotting their usual green surface. Kurama's mouth was slightly open from shock, and he noticed that his canine teeth were unnaturally more fang-like.  
  
".Yikes." Kurama finally managed to say.  
  
"That's what we said, and you don't even know you have a tail yet!" Yusuke said, trying to make the whole thing into a joke.  
  
"He does now, moron," Hiei sneered.  
  
Kurama looked behind him and saw that, indeed, he had a tail. It was long, sparkly silver, and slightly squashed from having laid on it, but it was still a tail. The kitsune sat for a moment in silence, then finally overcame his shock long enough to say, "But.what could have done this to me?"  
  
"We have no earthly idea," Botan admitted. "There is no way we can find out who or what it was without going back to the scene of the crime."  
  
"So why don't you?" Kurama asked, seriously hoping that the ferry-girl wasn't that dense.  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" Hiei replied, fixing his gaze on the even more fox-like than usual demon before him. "Whoever it was is obviously after you. Why else would they go through all of that trouble to set up a trap in the forest?"  
  
"You forgot to notice one thing," Kurama said. "If they had me trapped, why would they have done this to me? And, why would they try it directly in front of another demon?"  
  
"This whole thing has me confused," Kuwabara said stupidly. Hiei was about to make a snide remark when he was interrupted. Kuwabara's pet cat, Eikichi, had just lunged for Kurama's face in a maddened fury.  
  
"Aaah!" Kurama cried. He managed to bring his hands up in time to keep his face from being shredded, but the cat showed no mercy. She dove behind him and bit down hard on his tail.  
  
Kurama cried in pain, and managed to fling Eikichi off by flicking his tail forcefully. The cat flew through the air, right into her master's arms. Kuwabara rushed off with Eikichi, then returned empty-handed and closed the door.  
  
"I.hate.cats." Kurama said, gasping for air.  
  
"I can see why," Yusuke said in acknowledgement.  
  
"She's normally a lot nicer than that," Kuwabara said worriedly. "I wonder what made her go bonkers." A look of disbelief went around the room.  
  
"I can't believe you don't get it," Botan said in awe.  
  
"I think you've reached an all time low, Kuwabara," said Kurama who was holding his tail in his hands.  
  
"You moron," Hiei spat, glaring at the orange-haired punk with all three eyes. "What do cats hate?"  
  
"Um, water, being petted the wrong way, and.dogs?" Kuwabara replied nervously.  
  
"Very good," Hiei said, obviously not thinking that there was an ounce of good in him. "Now, what sort of animal is Kurama half-turned into?"  
  
"Um. he's a fox demon, right? So.a fox?"  
  
"That's your second right answer. Now, what are foxes related to?"  
  
"Um.let's see.I know it, don't tell me.dogs?"  
  
"Bingo," Kurama said, still nursing his tail.  
  
"Let me help you with that, Kurama!" cried Botan. She hurried over and dragged him out of the room, away from the others. Yusuke was simultaneously laughing at how long it had taken Kuwabara to figure things out and dodging Kuwabara's Spirit Sword.  
  
Hiei stood off to the side, near the bed where Kurama had been sitting earlier. He leaned over and picked up a single, silver strand of fur from the kitsune's tail.  
  
"Be wary, Kurama," the fire apparition muttered to himself. "Whoever is after you shall surely try again."  
  
^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^  
  
"Electra, our plan is nearly ready to be set into motion. You might want to change into something that is more battle-appropriate. I don't think anyone will take you seriously, fighting in a purple dress."  
  
"You are absolutely right, sir. I shall change immediately. Forgive me, sir."  
  
"That's quite all right, it's nice to see that you're not entirely without feelings."  
  
Electra nodded and backed out of the room. The cloaked man turned towards a computer monitor, which displayed a picture of half-fox Kurama.  
  
"All is nearly complete. Prepare yourself, kitsune.you'll never be the same again, once you've faced the wrath of Takminos!"  
  
^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^  
  
SC: Wow, so Kurama is a lot furrier than he used to be, and has two bad guys on his tail.sorry, no pun intended.  
  
YA: I'll bet.  
  
SC: Hey, I thought I shrunk you! Go back to being short! *scribbles*  
  
ya: hey! you didn't have to make my letters short, too!  
  
SC: Yes I did. For those of you who have told me that the evil guy is a moron, well, I did that on purpose! The same goes for Electra. Anyway, the dude has a name now, are you all happy?  
  
ya: no.  
  
SC: No one asked you. *steps on YA* Okay, R&R, while I think of a way to get fox fur out of carpet. 


	5. Treason

Disclaimer: Please refer to the prologue for disclaimer. (Ha, I'll bet you thought I was kidding when I said that it went for ALL chapters!)  
  
SC: I can't believe it! I must clear my name!  
  
YA: What?  
  
SC: That whole thing in the last chapter, it was not implying upon a Kurama/Botan thing! I hate that!  
  
YA: So why did you give Botan a whole bunch of lines?  
  
SC: Because she's good at explaining things.  
  
YA: Sure.  
  
SC: That's it! I place upon you the 'Curse of the Cheesecakes!' *war drums*  
  
YA: *gets repeatedly hit in the face with flying cheesecakes*  
  
~ Treason ~  
  
"There now, isn't that better, Kurama?" asked Botan.  
  
"Well, it doesn't hurt anymore, at least," Kurama agreed, holding up a bandaged tail. "Thanks, Botan."  
  
"Aaah! Will someone please come in here and stop this idiot from KILLING ME?" Yusuke's voice screamed from the next room.  
  
Kurama and Botan walked into the room to face an odd situation: Yusuke had stopped laughing now, and had to use everything he had just to keep from being sliced by Kuwabara's Spirit Sword. Also, it seemed that Hiei had gotten bored and joined in the game of Yusuke Hunt.  
  
Botan got really annoyed. "I leave you alone for ONE MINUTE, and I come back to find you trying to KILL one another? What is WRONG with you people?" She ran forward and grabbed Kuwabara by the ears, preventing him from chasing Yusuke.  
  
Hiei was still after him, and he was a lot harder to stop than Kuwabara. He was easily the fastest of them all, and the chances of him staying in one place long enough to grab were pretty much nil. Kurama took on the challenge, however, and rushed into the middle of the room. He closed his eyes and listened, his ears twitching slightly on top of his head. A moment later, he stuck out his arm just as Hiei was passing. The fire apparition slammed into Kurama and fell to the floor, winded.  
  
"Wow, that was impressive, Kurama!" Botan cheered, still holding on to Kuwabara's earlobe.  
  
"Yeah. . . very. . . impressive. . ." Yusuke said, panting.  
  
"'Twas nothing," Kurama replied, but he grinned anyway.  
  
Hiei did not seem to agree on the matter. "Ow. . ."  
  
"That's what you get for trying to start a war inside a bedroom!" Botan scoffed, feeling that Hiei had gotten what he deserved.  
  
Kuwabara didn't want to make Botan any madder. "Okay, you win. We're sorry, we'll never try to deliberately kill Yusuke again."  
  
"I'm not agreeing to anything," Hiei huffed before Botan could say anything.  
  
"Just do it Hiei!" Yusuke yelled.  
  
"You're only saying that because you don't wan to die!" Hiei hollered back.  
  
"Please, we shouldn't be fighting like this all the ti. . ." Kurama cut off from his sentence.  
  
"What's the matter, Kurama?" Botan asked, turning around, but she got no reply.  
  
Kurama had suddenly gone silent. His eyes were clouded over, and they could see his ears twitching rhythmically upon his head. His tail swooshed back and forth like a metronome, never altering its tempo. Botan rushed over and fervently waved her hand in front of the kitsune's face.  
  
There was no response.  
  
"Oh my gosh! What's gotten into him?" Botan cried nervously.  
  
"There is a strange force in the air. . ." Hiei commented.  
  
Indeed there was. Waves of spirit energy were filling the room, sending shivers down everyone's spine. Yusuke glanced around quickly before saying, "Gee, this has been one weird day, hasn't it?"  
  
"Eikichi!" Kuwabara cried, running over to his beloved cat. She was exhibiting many of the same symptoms that Kurama was: twitching ears and an unseeing stare. Kuwabara picked her up, but she showed no signs of noticing.  
  
"What in all the worlds has happened to them?" Botan wondered aloud.  
  
"Whatever it is, it seems to only affect animals. . . or in Kurama's case, spirit animals. . ." Hiei trailed off.  
  
"We have to snap them out of it," Yusuke ordered. "Come on."  
  
^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^  
  
Kurama was trapped inside his own mind, surrounded on all sides by a strange force. It washed over him, surged around him, preventing him from thinking straight.  
  
{What. . . is all of this?} The kitsune wondered. {What's happening. . . to me?}  
  
A blurry image swam before him. It looked a lot like a person's face, but it was impossible to tell who it was.  
  
[Listen to me. . .] the voice called through the mists.  
  
{Who said that?}  
  
[Trust in me. . .]  
  
{Who are you? What do you want with me?}  
  
[Believe in me. . .]  
  
{What. . . what are you. . . talking. . . about?} Kurama felt himself blacking out.  
  
[Serve me. . .]  
  
{I. . . I don't want. . . no. . . please. . .}  
  
[Come to me. . .]  
  
{. . . No. . . stop. . . go. . . away. . . leave. . . me. . . alone. . .}  
  
[Come. . .]  
  
{. . . I. . .} the fox began, but he had already lost himself. {. . . I will. . .}  
  
[COME!]  
  
^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^  
  
"Holy smokes!" Yusuke yelled, jumping away from Kurama's rigid body.  
  
The kitsune had started growling, a deep-voiced growl that didn't suit him. Yusuke had been trying to wake Kurama up, but it seemed as though he was too late for that.  
  
"What's wrong with him?" Botan cried desperately.  
  
"Look at his eyes. . ." Hiei said in an almost-worried voice.  
  
Kurama glared at the lowly humans before him, and they caught a glimpse of his staring eyes. They had changed, from their normal emerald hue to an evil, emotionless yellow.  
  
Kuwabara, who was still holding Eikichi, dropped the cat in surprise. She had begun hissing at him, her fur standing on end. He backed away slowly, then turned to the others and said, "I really hope the two of them have had rabies shots. I can feel the fangs already."  
  
"Something about this energy. . ." Hiei stated, ". . . it must be confusing their minds. . ."  
  
They didn't have much time to ponder that fact, for at that moment the two angered beasts lunged. Kurama threw himself at Yusuke, hands clenched around his throat, fangs bared. Eikichi, in turn, had begun to viciously swipe at Kuwabara with her claws. All the while, Kuwabara was yelling, "I knew I should have had her de-clawed! I knew it!"  
  
"AACK! Someone get fur-face off of me before I choke!" Yusuke hacked, his eyes fixed on Kurama's mindless yellow ones.  
  
"Come on, turkeys!" a new voice yelled. Kurama was suddenly being pulled backwards by an unknown force. Yusuke looked up and saw Shizuru, Kuwabara's older sister, dragging Kurama along by his tail. The kitsune snarled and struggled, but could not free himself from her grasp.  
  
Eikichi was still fighting with Kuwabara, and winning, at that. It seemed that he was unwilling to hurt his dear cat, and was just standing there, being shredded. Thankfully for him, Botan appeared and whacked the cat on the head with her oar. Eikichi fell to the ground, kayoed.  
  
Shizuru was still dealing with Kurama, who was fighting like a vicious animal just to get free. Just then, the girl's hands slipped on the bandage wrapped around Kurama's tail, and the kitsune rounded on her. He was about to strike when Hiei, using his demon speed, appeared between them. His forehead was lacking the usual headband, and his Jagan Eye was glowing with an intense red light. "Leave the kitsune's mind, filth," he ordered, staring blankly into Kurama's inhuman eyes. "You shall hold no power over him, so long as I am here."  
  
The fox-demon's eyes were filled with the light from the Jagan, and slowly they changed back to the gold-spotted green that had been there earlier. At the moment the last of the yellow had vanished, Kurama fell to the ground, having been knocked unconscious for the second time today.  
  
Botan collapsed to her knees, panting from all the excitement. "Are they going to be okay?"  
  
Hiei retied his headband, then leaned over the knocked out kitsune on the ground. "He should be fine. Kurama wasn't hurt in the battle, and the Jagan caused him no damage as well. I just performed a simple procedure that purged his mind of all outside forces."  
  
"So what caused them to lose their heads?" Yusuke asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.  
  
Hiei stepped forward. "It must have been that spirit energy we felt. . . It has some kind of effect on anyone who is at least partially an animal. That's why it got Kurama, as well as the cat."  
  
"But who could have done such an awful thing?" Botan wondered.  
  
"Only someone very powerful."  
  
^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^  
  
"Drat," hissed Takminos. "I almost had him. Oh well, better luck next time."  
  
"Sir, if you don't mind my asking, when exactly is the next time?"  
  
"Soon enough, Electra, soon enough."  
  
^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^  
  
SC: Wow, that was creepy! Good thing Shizuru came in to save Yusuke's tush!  
  
YA: *still being hit with cheesecakes*  
  
SC: It seems that this Takminos guy is playing mind games. . .  
  
YA: *still being hit with cheesecakes*  
  
SC: Poor Kurama, being reduced to such low standards. . .  
  
YA: *yet still being hit with cheesecakes*  
  
SC: I even feel sorry for the cat.  
  
YA: *dodges cheesecakes* Aaah! Don't review, or she'll keep writing! Stop this madness!  
  
SC: *throws more cheesecakes* Okay people, R&R while I go and prepare the rabies shots. 


End file.
